The Maine Land Use Planning Commission is seeking public comment on proposed amendments to Chapter 10 Land Use Districts and Standards regarding a proposed new subdistrict developed for certain areas in Aroostook County in partnership with Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) through the commission’s Community Guided Planning and Zoning program.
The commission voted Dec. 9 to post the proposed rule revisions of the Aroostook County Community Guided Planning and Zoning Process: Rural Business Development Subdistrict for a 30-day public comment period. Public comments will be accepted until Jan. 22 and rebuttal comments will be accepted until Feb. 12.
The proposed rulemaking is the product of a Northern Maine Development Commission steering committee made up of regional stakeholders who are representative of diverse interests in the unorganized territories of Aroostook County. This regional planning effort implements the directive in Public Law 2011, Chapter 682, Section 34, for the commission to initiate prospective zoning in the unorganized and deorganized parts of the state.
The purpose of the proposed Rural Business Development Subdistrict (D-RB) would be to encourage an appropriate range of business development in rural areas, and locate development in or at the edge of existing development and in concentrated areas along appropriate portions of major transportation corridors.
The locations for the D-RB are selected to maintain the rural character of the region and avoid significant visual, natural resource, and fiscal impacts of unplanned growth. The D-RB subdistrict would include areas to accommodate a range of small commercial, light manufacturing, and institutional facilities and businesses that are generally compatible with, and complementary to, natural resource-based land uses but may create some adverse impacts to residential uses, recreation uses, or resource protection.
To find out more about the rulemaking, request a copy of the proposed rule changes, submit a comment, or to request a public hearing, contact Ben Godsoe at (207) 287-2619, or email benjamin.godsoe@maine.gov; or visit the commission’s website. Copies of the rulemaking proposal can also be found at the commission’s office at Radar Road, Ashland, Maine.
